After suffering their second defeat against Australia after South Africa, India need to win at least two of their next three matches – starting England after a week.While the loss to a dominating Aussie side would have been demoralising – leaving regrets of not pushing for more than 330 and not having bowlers to turn the knife and losing by 3 wickets, India will need to look ahead.England are not easy. And former captain Anjum Chopra reckons the week long break before the next game can kill momentum.“India will have to find a way to recover from this defeat against Australia. They need to re-evaluate their plans and strategies as they prepare to face a new opponent — England — in their next encounter,” Chopra said. “That match will also be played at a different venue (Indore), so how India adapts will be crucial. If they want to stay in contention for a knockout spot, they must win their next two games. A week’s break can sometimes disrupt momentum, even though India did well to post a 300-plus total against Australia. The batters performed admirably, but five or six days is quite a long gap, and how they manage that will be important,” she told JioHotstar after Vizag game.Despite posting 330 runs, Australia chased down the target courtesy of Alyssa Healy’s 142 off 107 to seal a three-wicket win. Speaking on ‘Rexona Cricket Live’, JioStar experts Mithali Raj and Anjum Chopra discussed India’s loss to Australia, and the road ahead as they gear up to face England next. JioStar expert Mithali Raj said the captain Alyssa Healy had played a captain’s knock.“You expect a big match-winner to stand up in moments like this. A big game between India and Australia, and captain Alyssa Healy did exactly that. Even in the 2022 World Cup, she stepped up when it mattered, and now, again in the ICC Women’s ODI World Cup 2025, she has brought out her A-game when it mattered the most. The number of games leading up to the World Cup didn’t really matter much, but this was an important game for Australia, and she rose to the occasion, leading from the front,” Mithali said.Healy began cautiously during the Powerplay, but once the spinners came on, she capitalised. “She has always been strong against off-spinners and started to find the runs,” Mithali continued. “What stood out even more was the partnerships she built, first with opening partner Phoebe Litchfield, and then with Ellyse Perry for the second wicket. Those partnerships were key to Australia’s win. Other batters contributed too, but as a captain, you want to stand up in the biggest games for your team and your country, and Alyssa Healy did just that.”India finally matched their reputation of having the strongest opening combination. “The opening partnership is what contributes to India’s big scores because every time India has crossed the 300-run mark, it’s been on the back of that solid start, particularly when Smriti Mandhana gets to bat beyond the Powerplay,” Mithali said stressing that Smriti needed to always find her groove, and then became destructive. “Once she enters the middle overs, her strike-rate improves significantly. Pratika Rawal, too, looks far more comfortable when Smriti is at the other end. We’ve seen Pratika’s partnerships with Harleen Deol in the last two or three innings, and in those cases, the strike-rate and run-rate tend to drop. But when Smriti is batting with her, Pratika looks confident enough to play her shots, those pull shots and aerial strokes we saw against Australia, which she normally doesn’t attempt with any other batter. I think both of them performing well together is a very positive sign for India, especially with crucial games coming up against England and New Zealand. These are two big and important matches, and India will need their openers to continue this form.”Story continues below this adAnjum Chopra compared Australia’s confident run chase where they managed 82 for no loss, in 10 overs as against India’s 58 runs without losing a wicket at the end of 10 overs. “That difference set the tone,” she believed. “Australia’s captain Alyssa Healy mentioned in the post-match presentation that chasing down a total of over 300 isn’t something they do every day, but they were pleased to learn how to do it successfully. The way Phoebe Litchfield and Alyssa Healy began their innings was something we expected, but the manner in which they approached the chase reflected pure confidence. They were determined not to take a step back. Even though they lost a few wickets while playing aerial shots, they continued to attack because this wasn’t the day to hold back. The wicket was good, and with only five bowlers in the opposition attack, if even one has an off day, you’re automatically in control.”With Australia’s deep batting lineup, if India got one batter out, there’s another, then another, they are almost endless in their options, Chopra added. “But that tone has to be set right at the top. I feel the Australian side has immense ability, skill, temperament, and experience. Their belief in chasing down big totals is remarkable. If the opposition sets 300, they believe they can get even more.”The fact that the Indian team, as a batting unit, managed to post over 300 runs on the board — batting first after being inserted in by the opposition — was a big positive for Chopra. “The 150-plus stand between the openers is another positive. Richa Ghosh’s free-flowing innings, Jemimah Rodrigues getting some runs, and Harleen Deol’s contributions — there were a lot of encouraging signs in the batting department. I might sound a little harsh when I say that they shouldn’t have wasted those seven deliveries towards the end, getting all out in 48.5 overs. But the skill factor is different, you simply can’t match the skill of the Australian team vis-à-vis the Indian team. Still, the Indians will learn quickly, and that’s another positive to take away.”In the bowling department, Chopra was ready to cut them some slack, though it cost them the big match. “I thought they showed a lot of courage to take the game deep. With a bit more experience and better awareness in terms of field placements, they can certainly improve. As a fielder too, you must be aware that it’s a fast outfield. You don’t need to run in or walk in too fast; you just need to maintain your composure,’ she noted.